ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan football team earned an at-large selection into the Bowl Championship Series, receiving a bid to play in the 78th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012. The game will be televised by ESPN starting at 8:30 p.m. EST from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La.

The announcement of the Sugar Bowl match-up with Virginia Tech came on the ESPN College Bowl Selection Show held Sunday evening (Dec. 4) at 8:15 p.m.

Michigan (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) finished the regular season ranked No. 13 in the final BCS standing released during the show. The Wolverines are ranked 12th in the USA Today Coaches poll and 13th in the Associated Press media poll. The 132nd team in school history finished second in the Legends Division behind Michigan State.

Michigan will be playing the Virginia Tech Hokies (11-2, 7-1 ACC) for the first time in school history. The Hokies lost the ACC Championship to Clemson by a 38-10 score on Saturday night (Dec. 3). Virginia Tech is 11th in the USA Today Coaches poll and lists 17th in the AP poll. The Hokies won the ACC's Coastal Division and finished the year listed No. 11 in the final BCS standings.

This will be the Wolverines' fifth appearance in a BCS bowl game. U-M has compiled a 1-3 record in BCS bowl games, winning the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama (35-34 in overtime) and losing to Southern California in the 2004 and 2005 Rose Bowl and Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl (38-37).

TICKET INFORMATION: The U-M Athletic Ticket Office will begin selling tickets to the 2012 Allstate Sugar Bowl on Monday, Dec. 5, at 8:30 a.m. EST. Tickets range from $125 to $185 (limit eight), and will be assigned based on the Victors Club priority point program. Fans can purchase tickets online at www.MGoBlue.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at 866-296-MTIX or 734-764-0247. The priority seating deadline is Thursday, Dec. 8.

OFFICIAL ALUMNI TOUR: The Alumni Association is taking reservations for the official University of Michigan Sugar Bowl Tour at 877-513-2320 or www.michigansportstours.com. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TOUR WILL INCLUDE GAME TICKETS. You can also find information about the U-M bowl pep rally and pre-game tailgate at www.umalumni.com or by calling 800-847-4764.

BOWL GAME NOTES:

The Wolverines are making their 41st all-time bowl appearance (19-21 record).

Michigan will be making its 35th January bowl appearance and will play in a January bowl game for the 13th time in the past 15 bowl trips.

This will be the second time that U-M plays in the Sugar Bowl. The previous game was a 9-7 loss to Auburn on Jan. 2, 1984.

Michigan has compiled a 1-1 record all-time against the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in bowl games. The most recent match-up with the ACC came in the 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl, a 42-7 victory over North Carolina State on New Year's Day. Michigan lost a 17-15 affair against North Carolina in the 1979 Gator Bowl.